The final agreement between the Texas Blockchain Council & Riot Platforms, Inc. and the Energy Information Administration has just been canceled, and it’s a good agreement.
In summary, EIA will voluntarily terminate the illegal EIA-862 collection actions it initiated and commits to destroy all information it has received and may continue to receive under EIA-862. In addition, the collection notice on February 9, 2024 will be canceled and withdrawn and replaced with a new notice.
This new notice will be effective for 60 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register, and EIA has also agreed that all comments received on the February 9 notice will be incorporated into and considered in the new notice. To find out.
So here’s the point: the government needs to go back to the well and do it right. They cannot use phraseological political “emergencies” to solve this problem, and fortunately for the mining industry, this clear violation was blocked through the quick and decisive work of the Texas Blockchain Council & Riot.
But the flight is not over, and you should submit your comments on new data collection notices as soon as they are released. And with groups opposing Bitcoin mining already entering the fray, we can see that the fight is only going to get harder.
The Sierra Club attempted to file an amicus brief in this case. That report, which is on the record (although it was objected to as inadequate and is now controversial), sets out their arguments, which they will detail in a filing supporting EIA’s new data collection. These arguments are as weak as one might expect, but they certainly exist and must be addressed and overcome.
Finally, the government will reimburse the Texas Blockchain Council & Riot Platforms, Inc. for $2,199.45 in court costs and attorney fees. Obviously it’s not enough to cover the costs, but it’s still amazing. However, it is important to make clear that this contract does not “admit liability or wrongdoing…” “There is no such thing. Sure. “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Even Waco, Texas can smell it.
This is a guest post by Colin Crossman. The opinions expressed are solely personal and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.